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Nov 14, 2016    
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Good morning and welcome to the Early Bird Brief. Please send news tips and suggestions to: earlybird@militarytimes.com.
Today's Top 5
    1. Will Donald Trump's Pentagon reverse Obama's women-in-combat rules?
(Military Times) The Obama administration’s historic decision to open military combat jobs to women, a process well underway for nearly a year, could be reviewed or even reversed as President-elect Donald Trump and his Republican Party take control of Washington in January.
 
    2. Army Special Forces soldiers killed in Jordan were working for the CIA
(Washington Post) The three Army Special Forces soldiers killed at a Jordanian military base this month were working for a CIA program to train moderate Syrian fighters when they were shot at a checkpoint under still-unclear circumstances, U.S. officials said.
 
    3. Navy officer accused of spying says 'Goon Squad' guards abused him and other prison inmates
(Navy Times) The Navy is investigating prisoner-abuse allegations leveled against at least five corrections officers at the military detention facility in Chesapeake, Virginia, Navy Times has learned.
 
    4. President-elect Trump speaks to a divided country on 60 Minutes
(60 Minutes) What can we expect from a Trump presidency? 60 Minutes' Lesley Stahl finds some of his campaign issues were not meant to be taken literally, but as opening bids for negotiation
 
    5. Suicide attack at Bagram Airfield leaves 4 Americans dead, 16 wounded
(Army Times) Two U.S. service members and two American contractors were killed by a suicide bomber early Saturday on Afghanistan's Bagram Airfield, the U.S. military said.
 
Donald Trump & the Presidency
    Trump’s Big-League Defense Buildup Would Face Hurdles in Congress
(Defense News) If US president-elect Donald Trump pursues multi-billion-dollar plans to “rebuild” the military with new fighter jets, ships and troops, analysts are optimistic the Republican-led Congress will lift spending caps to fund it.
 
    California's Rep. Duncan Hunter among names floated for Trump Cabinet
(Los Angeles Times) Rep. Duncan Hunter's name is being floated as a possibility to serve as President-elect Donald Trump's secretary of Defense.
 
    Military leaders will be key to educating Trump, retired 4-star says
(Military Times) Donald Trump's lack of foreign policy experience will prove challenging to the Pentagon, a member of Bill Clinton's administration told Military Times on Thursday, but retired Gen. Barry McCaffrey says he is confident military leaders will try to work constructively with the unpredictable president-elect.
 
    For Clues To Trump's National Security Policy, Look To His Advisers
(National Public Radio) What is Donald Trump's national security plan?
 
    Michelle Obama's signature military initiative faces an uncertain future under Donald Trump
(Military Times) Joining Forces officials this week will celebrate five years of work highlighting veterans and military families, but they’ll also be wondering what the next few months will mean for the future of the effort.
 
    This retired Army general was a scholar and acolyte of David Petraeus. Now he’s on Team Trump.
(Washington Post) One of the first senior officials that President-elect Donald Trump has tapped to help guide his administration as it takes power is a retired military officer and highly regarded scholar who actively assisted Pentagon efforts to nation-build in Iraq and Afghanistan — something Trump has repeatedly criticized.
 
    New Set of Realities in Defense, Foreign Policy in Trump Presidency (UPDATED)
(National Defense) As the aftershocks of the 2016 election continue to reverberate across the political universe, defense pundits and watchers are starting to sketch a picture of what the national security world may look like under the Donald Trump administration.
 
    Van Hipp Top SecArmy Pick; Hoekstra For DNI?
(Breaking Defense) WASHINGTON: The next Director of National Intelligence may be Pete Hoestra, the Dutch-born former head of the House Intelligence Committee, and the next Army Secretary is likely to be Van Hipp, head of consulting firm American Defense International, according to a source who advises President-elect Donald Trump on national security issues.
 
    President-elect Trump could face cyber crisis in first 100 days
(Federal Times) Cybersecurity risks — driven by foreign actors, a proliferation of exploits and poorly secured legacy infrastructure in an increasingly connected world — are intensifying, research and advisory firm Forrester reported as part of a much larger 2017 predictions guide.
 
    What will President Trump do with Guantánamo?
(Miami Herald) Will President Donald Trump put pen to paper on Inauguration Day and declare the Guantánamo Bay prison Barack Obama couldn’t close officially open for business? Will he order his Secretary of Defense to start searching the globe for “some bad dudes” to put there?
 
Pentagon
    Report: Commissary cost-cutting plan lacks details, fails to ensure customer benefit
(Military Times) The Defense Department’s plan for saving money on commissary operations is thin on details, and decision-makers will need these details to evaluate whether the savings come at the expense of customer benefits, according to a new report from government auditors.
 
    Background Check Chief: 2 Years Before Next-Gen Network Up And Running
(NextGov) It will be roughly 18 months to two years before the Defense Department completes building out a next-generation computer system to house federal background check data, the director of the new agency that manages the clearance process said Thursday.
 
    Military's best fighters head to Fort Bragg for Combatives Invitational
(Fayetteville Observer) The military's best fighters will descend on Fort Bragg later this year for the unofficial, de facto Army combatives championship.
 
    A frozen federal workforce
(Federal Times) The biggest indicator of the president-elect’s vision for federal employees came at his Oct. 22 Gettysburg speech, where Trump called for a federal hiring freeze — except for military, public health and public safety employees — but didn’t elaborate on how long it would last.
 
    Amazon fixes glitch that kept Korea-based servicemembers from placing orders
(Stars & Stripes) Most servicemembers can again place orders with Amazon after the online retailer’s website blocked some shoppers from completing their purchases for several days.
 
Overseas Operations
    White House Requests Extra $11.6B in OCO Funding Supplemental
(Defense News) The Obama administration has formally requested $11.6 billion in extra wartime funding, bringing the total fiscal year 2017 overseas contingency operations (OCO) funding request to $85.3 billion
 
    Photos show ‘scorched earth’ campaign by Islamic State defenders in Mosul
(Washington Post) Since July, the Islamic State’s defenders in Mosul have been busily turning the group’s Iraqi capital into a fortress in preparation for the onslaught they knew would come. Now, newly published satellite images reveal just how elaborate those efforts have been.
 
    US Apache Gunships Back Iraqi Forces in Mosul Offensive
(Military.com) AH-64 Apache gunships have been supporting Iraqi Security Forces in heavy fighting to expand a foothold in eastern Mosul by destroying Islamic State car bombs and makeshift barriers, the Pentagon said Monday.
 
    U.S. Embassy in Afghanistan closes after attacks
(Associated Press) The U.S. Embassy in Afghanistan has closed following deadly insurgent attacks on a German Consulate and an American military base.
 
    In Libya, United States lays plans to hunt down escaped Islamic State fighters
(Washington Post) The Pentagon has tracked scores of Islamic State militants escaping fierce fighting in Libya’s coastal city of Sirte and has begun laying the groundwork for expanded air attacks to follow and kill them, part of a final push by the Obama administration to blunt multiplying militant threats across the broader Middle East.
 
Air Force
    Air Force's Next Fighter Jet a Program to Watch in 2017
(Defense News) 2017 could be a decisive year for the Air Force’s future fighter jet, as the service begins multiple efforts that will help determine the requirements of its so-called Penetrating Counter Air capability.
 
    Army, Air Force secretaries visit 'The Daily Show' tonight
(Air Force Times) The secretaries of the Army and the Air Force will be the guests on Thursday evening's episode of "The Daily Show" with Trevor Noah.
 
    DoD IG takes a second look at complaint against the Air Force's 2-star chief of chaplains
(Air Force Times) The Air Force Inspector General’s Office has found that Maj. Gen. (Chaplain) Dondi Costin, the service’s chief of chaplains, did not act improperly when he appeared in uniform at a July event sponsored by the Chaplain Alliance for Military Liberty.
 
    Army, Air Force golfers show their swings on 'Morning Drive'
(Air Force Times) An active-duty Army colonel and Air Force captain were among 13 golf champions crowned last month by the Veteran Golfers Association, a nonprofit group founded in 2014 that already boasts 1,500 members.
 
    Air Force wants about 1,900 airmen to retrain into undermanned jobs
(Air Force Times) The Air Force hopes to have about 1,917 enlisted airmen retrain into 95 undermanned career fields, according to a Nov. 10 list obtained by Air Force Times.
 
Army
    DoD identifies soldier killed in vehicle accident in Kuwait
(Army Times) The Defense Department on Friday released the name of a soldier who died in a vehicle accident in Kuwait.
 
    Chelsea Manning Asks Obama to Cut Sentence to Time Served
(New York Times) Chelsea Manning, who confessed to disclosing archives of secret diplomatic and military documents to WikiLeaks in 2010 and has been incarcerated longer than any other convicted leaker in American history, has formally petitioned President Obama to reduce the remainder of her 35-year sentence to the more than six years she has already served.
 
    Six West Point cadets are facing drug charges
(The Journal News; White Plains, N.Y.) Six cadets have been charged with drug-related offenses and placed on administrative leave, pending an investigation, according to the U.S. Military Academy.
 
    Twitter just got 100 percent more hooah: Welcome, @15thSMA.
(Army Times) After almost two years on the job, Sergeant Major of the Army Dan Dailey is ready to enter a new phase: social media.
 
    Army honing in on cyber defense
(C4ISRNET) Army officials have seen the growth in cyber defense coming down the pike. This is in part to its Defensive Cyberspace Operation infrastructure program. For its part, the Program Executive Office for Enterprise Information Systems is tasked with providing DCO the non-tactical, enterprise network.
 
    Army reservist's voice guides players through latest entry in horror-game franchise
(Army Times) Lt. Col. Andy Field is a teacher by day and robot by night.
 
Navy
    Stout returns to Norfolk after 183-day deployment
(Navy Times) The guided-missile destroyer Stout steamed into Norfolk Naval Station on Sunday, 183 days since departing on a regularly deployment to the 5th and 6th Fleet areas of operation, which include the Middle East and Europe.
 
    Navy to expand sonar, other training off Northwest coast
(Associated Press) The U.S. Navy has finalized a plan to expand sonar testing and other warfare training off the coasts of Washington, Oregon and northern California.
 
Marine Corps
    Anti-Trump protesters passed a bar full of U.S. Marines and all hell broke loose
(Marine Corps Times) An unofficial Marine Corps birthday get-together took an odd turn in Florida Thursday night, when an anti-Trump protest walked by the bar where they'd gathered.
 
    Bomb threat at Camp Foster theater under investigation
(Stars & Stripes) Military police are investigating a bomb threat made over the weekend at a Marines base on Okinawa.
 
    Meet the gay marine who saved the President’s life
(LGBTQ Nation) As the U.S. Marine Corps celebrated its 241st birthday on Thursday, the occasion was devoid of any mention of one of the few people in history credited with saving the life of a President of the United States — gay Marine PFC Oliver “Billy” Sipple.
 
    Marines Do First-of-its-Kind Maintenance Test with F-35B on Ship
(Military.com) To prove that the Marines’ new 5th-generation fighter could undergo maintenance during an at-sea deployment, air crew aboard the amphibious assault ship USS America took one of the aircraft apart–and put it back together again
 
    This Marine task force led hurricane relief in Haiti during deployment
(Marine Corps Times) The day after Hurricane Matthew ravaged Haiti, the Marine Corps’ Central America task force began arriving at Port-au-Prince to fly badly needed supplies to devastated areas.
 
National Guard
    Former soldiers say California Guard never paid bonuses it promised to interpreters in war zones
(Los Angeles Times) When the California National Guard desperately needed interpreters to accompany troops headed to Iraq and Afghanistan, it promised enlistment bonuses of up to $20,000 each to dozens of Arabic, Dari and Pashto speakers.
 
    State GOP chair wants Hales out, National Guard in to stop riots
(Portland Tribune) Republican leader says Portland mayor has lost control and Oregon governor must act to stop violance and vandalism
 
Defense Industry
    More outsourcing, less regulation under Trump
(Federal Times) One of the biggest challenges facing the 45th president will be how its administration acquires goods and services.
 
    USMC orders 144 Polaris MRZR-D4 diesel utility vehicles
(IHS Jane’s 360) The US Marine Corps (USMC) has ordered 144 four-seat diesel MRZR-D4s from Polaris for the corps' utility task vehicle (UTV) programme, the company announced on 10 November.
 
    IG blasts JSTARS contract
(C4ISRNET) A Department of Defense Inspector General audit has faulted the Air Force for its handling of the Joint Surveillance Target Attack Radar System (JSTARS) program.
 
    Meet Raytheon’s Drone-Destroying Microwave-Energy Weapon
(Aviation Week) There is no shortage of innovative ways to shoot down drones. Some companies are pitching lasers, others prefer radio-frequency disruption or, if you prefer explosions, the U.S. Army has tested Raytheon AIM-9X Sidewinder air-to-air missiles and fired course-corrected projectiles with forward-blast fragmentation warheads from a 50-mm Bushmaster cannon
 
    MUOS 5 reaches operational orbit after hiccup
(C4ISRNET) The Navy's fifth Mobile User Objective System (MUOS) satellite has finally reached operational orbit and has successfully deployed its arrays and antennas.
 
    Road to IT modernization in limbo under Trump
(Federal Times) Trump faces a significant challenge in tackling the broader problem of moving federal agencies off of legacy systems and where to start.
 
    BAE supporting DARPA countermeasures under contract modification
(C4ISRNET) BAE has been awarded a $13.3 million contract modification to continue work on DARPA's Adaptive Radar Countermeasures (ARC) project.
 
    Continuity in Indo-US Defense Ties Seen Under Trump
(Defense News) Indo-US defense ties will continue with Donald Trump as the next US president, government officials here agree.
 
    Cobham awarded Aegis waveguide contract
(C4ISRNET) Cobham has been awarded a contract to produce waveguide components and assemblies for Lockheed Martin's AN/SPY-1D three-dimensional fixed-phased array radar.
 
    French Defense Chief, Airbus Spar Over 'Tactical' A400M Deliveries
(Defense News) French officials are in tough talks with Airbus Defense & Space for a timely delivery of a more capable “tactical” version of the A400M military transport plane, French Defense Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said.
 
    Technology Focus Drives Estonian Defense Industry Growth
(Defense News) The Estonian government is scaling up efforts to develop an export-driven and tech-based defense sector to render companies more internationally competitive.
 
    India Looks to Fast-Track Ammo Purchases Worth $1 Billion
(Defense News) Faced with "critical shortages" of ammunition and other equipment, India has triggered its Fast Track Purchase (FTP) process to tap the overseas market, bypassing prescribed routine acquisition procedures, according to a Ministry of Defense (MoD) official.
 
    French Naval Aircraft's Operational Availability Revealed in Letter to MP
(Defense News) The French Navy’s three-strong fleet of Hawkeye E-2C spy planes increased its 2015 operational availability to 32.3 percent from 24.7 percent in the previous year, and last year's maintenance bill for the aircraft was €30 million (US $33 million), according to the French Ministry of Defense.
 
    Industry Consolidates As Nordic States Unify On Defense
(Defense News) Inter-government plans to advance the cause for Nordic military-industrial collaboration are proving an influential force driving domestic and regional sector consolidation. This has resulted in a recent flurry of merger and acquisition (M&A) activity by leading industry players across the region.
 
Veterans
    Lapel pin, national initiative seek to correct injustice for Vietnam vets
(Army Times) On the 50th anniversary of the Vietnam War, a national initiative aims to make sure veterans from that era are never forgotten.
 
    Researchers find vets leave civilian jobs quickly, but for good reasons
(Military Times) Nearly half of veterans leave their first civilian job within a year, but that may not be bad news, according to a new analysis by the Center for a New American Security.
 
    Soldier returns lost medals to war hero's family on Veterans Day
(Military Times) The medals of a Navy man who served in WWII, Korea and Vietnam had fallen in the hands of collectors. A soldier got them back and presented them to the service member's family - on Veterans Day.
 
    Veterans make up nearly one-third of federal workers
(Military Times) Veterans make up almost one-third of the federal workforce, up 5 percentage points since President Obama took office, according to new data released by the Office of Personnel Management on Veterans Day.
 
    Former Army culinary specialist sets cooking marathon record
(Military Times) The veteran community is full of ultra-marathoners and others who push the limits of endurance. Former Army Spc. Susie Fortman might be the first ultra-cook.
 
    Afghan ambassador thanks U.S. troops, veterans
(Military Times) A statement from Afghan Ambassador Hamdullah Mohib on U.S. Veterans Day.
 
    24 top technical colleges for troops and veterans
(Military Times) The Best for Vets: Career & Technical Colleges 2017 aren't big-name schools.
 
Congress & Politics
    Trump Will Not Always Get What He Wants From GOP Congress
(Breaking Defense) Donald Trump visited the White House this morning for the first time in an official capacity as the initial shock of his election as president of the United States began to wear off. You could tell it was wearing off because Congress already began to remind Trump of the limits of his power.
 
National Security & Intelligence
    President-elect Donald Trump is about to learn the nation’s ‘deep secrets’
(Washington Post) One of the most important phases of the transition to power for President-elect Donald Trump includes briefings on U.S. intelligence capabilities and secret operations as well as separate descriptions of the extraordinary powers he will have over the military, especially contingency plans to use nuclear weapons, according to officials.
 
    Trump denies campaign trail comments on nuclear weapons
(Washington Examiner) President-elect Trump on Sunday walked back comments made on the campaign trail about more countries getting nuclear weapons.
 
International Affairs
    Germany's Budget Committee Approves Five New Corvettes
(Defense News) The Budget Committee of the German Parliament rubber-stamped on Friday the procurement of five new corvettes for the German Navy, worth about €1.5 billion, sources familiar with the deal confirmed.
 
    New Zealand: At least 2 dead in 7.8-magnitude quake
(CNN) A powerful 7.8-magnitude earthquake has jolted New Zealand's South Island and triggered a tsunami, sending people running into the streets in a panic amid a series of aftershocks.
 
    Weeks After Defeated Deal, Colombia And FARC Rebels Reach A New Peace
(National Public Radio) For the second time in just six weeks, it appears that Latin America's longest-running war may finally end in peace. The Colombian government and Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC, announced an agreement Saturday night that would end their 52-year guerrilla war — another attempt at peace after Colombian voters narrowly rejected a previous deal in an October referendum.
 
    The U.S. military is quietly influencing African peacekeeping missions. Here's how
(Military Times) Nearly 70 years after the United Nations first deployed its iconic blue helmets, demand for peacekeepers is on the rise.
 
    U.S. Fingerprints on Attacks Obliterating Yemen’s Economy
(New York Times) The Saudi-led coalition is hitting civilian targets, like factories, bridges and power stations, that critics say have no clear link to the rebels. In the rubble, the remains of American munitions have been found.
 
Commentary & Analysis
    Bob Dole: Honoring surviving OSS members must be a priority for lame-duck Congress
(Retired Sen. Bob Dole in Military Times) The Office of Strategic Services, better known as the OSS, was the World War II predecessor to the CIA, U.S. Special Operations Command and the State Department’s Bureau of Intelligence and Research. It was created after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. President Franklin Roosevelt believed the impending war necessitated the creation of a centralized intelligence agency with the capability to conduct unconventional warfare.
 
    The Politics of Intelligence
(G. Murphy Donovan in Small Wars Journal) Director of National intelligence, James Clapper, appeared on Public Television shortly before the presidential election for an extended interview with Charlie Rose. Mister Rose, like many of his peers these days, swings between hard news at dusk and bimbo chat at dawn. Indeed, Charlie is the very model of a Beltway double-dipper, a celebrity groupie who feeds at public and commercial troughs, PBS and CBS.
 
    Senator: Show veterans your support by recognizing their skills
(Sen. Jerry Moran in Military Times) My father served in World War II. He was on the ground in northern Africa and Italy. He lived during a time when the threat of war engulfed every major nation and when the call to serve weighed heavily on the mind of every American.
 
    Pence as Trump’s National Security Surrogate?
(Jane Chong in Lawfare) Much was said about the powerful role Vice President-elect Mike Pence could be expected to play in the Trump administration well before he was named to head the transition team. Pundits have been flashing back to July, when, during vice presidency discussions with a senior adviser to John Kasich, Trump’s son allegedly promised that Trump’s VP pick would take charge of domestic and foreign policy while Trump focused on “making America great again” (an incident that Donald Jr. denies).
 
    Commentary: A veterans affairs agenda for President-elect Trump
(Rep. Mark Takano in Military Times) A California lawmaker sees education and health care as key issues.
 
    Trump’s Unlikely Rise Hints at Shift in US Policy on North Korea
(John Power in The Diplomat) Having scored a historic political upset by promising to demolish the status quo, Donald Trump’s looming presidency has raised the prospect of a radical shift in U.S. policy toward North Korean denuclearization.
 
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